The Band of the Grenadier Guards played Star Trek music at Buckingham Palace on Friday as a tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart, but according to IGN, none of it came from the show that made him Captain Picard. Stewart’s death was announced on Thursday, and the palace performance became one of the more widely shared moments in the tributes that followed.
In a post on X, Kings Guard Tours wrote that the band was performing “the iconic Star Trek theme” in honour of Stewart. The post is dated 30 October 2026 and shows 433.5K views. Comic Basics describes a short clip of the band, in greatcoats and bearskins, playing in the palace forecourt, and says it spread quickly among fans.
The mix-up is in the music. IGN reports that the band skipped the theme from Star Trek: The Next Generation and instead played the theme from the original William Shatner series. It then moved into the theme from the J.J. Abrams-produced reboot films. The outlet compares the moment to the famous meme of Picard with his hand on his brow, and sums it up as a case of the thought counting.
The error doesn’t seem to have dented the reception. Several outlets covered the performance as a straightforward tribute, and Winter Is Coming called it part of an immediate outpouring of love for Stewart that included “the literal royal guard of Buckingham Palace”. It also fits the setting. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Stewart in 2010 for his contribution to drama and the arts, so a ceremonial military band playing for him at the palace made sense, whichever Star Trek tune it picked.
The band’s tribute sits alongside a long list of others. We’ve covered the news of Stewart’s death at 86 and Marvel’s tribute led by Kevin Feige, as the X-Men family remembered Professor X. IGN adds that fans of Oblivion paid tribute to Stewart, and that Star Trek Online players honoured him in-game.
Which Star Trek theme should the band have played?
Stewart led Star Trek: The Next Generation as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, so its own theme was the obvious choice. IGN says the band played the original series theme and the reboot film theme instead.
Did Buckingham Palace or the band comment on the music?
We haven’t seen an official statement from the palace or the band. The video that circulated was posted by Kings Guard Tours on X.
